Monday, April 18, 2016

Neoliberal Coup Attempt in Brazil

Washington still thinks of Latin and Central America as its backyard. Colonial thinking never fades.

Make no mistake. Its dirty hands are behind the attempt to oust democratically elected Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

She’s not neoliberal enough to suit US policymakers. Her social justice programs have to go.

The scheme to oust her has nothing to do with corruption or other alleged wrongdoing - everything to do with manipulated power-grabbing.

On Sunday, Brazil’s lower house voted 342 - 127 to impeach Rousseff, a bloodless attempt to oust her, requiring a simple Senate majority on whether to approve or reject impeachment proceedings within two days or no longer than 10 sessions.

If approved, she’ll have to temporarily step aside for 180 days until a Senate trial convicts or exonerates her - Vice President Michel Temer serving in her absence.

If two-thirds of senators approve impeachment, he’ll serve out the remainder of her term through yearend 2018.

Rousseff’s chief of staff Jaques Wagner believes the Senate will reject impeachment, calling the House vote “orchestrated” by her opponents.

Rousseff insists she “committed no irregularity (and) will never resign,” calling impeachment proceedings a coup attempt, accusing Temer and House Speaker Eduardo Cunha of “treachery,” promising to “fight until the last minute.”

Hard economic times divide Brazilian public opinion more than any time since years of military dictatorship.

She’s untouched by scandal involving massive corruption related to state-owned oil giant Petrobras, affecting other elected officials and political parties.

Charges against her allege budget manipulations to continue funding social programs ahead of the 2014 general elections - a practice many governments employ, notably America to fund militarism, war-making, corporate handouts, and support for foreign regimes serving US interests.

In 2013, when congressional Republicans threatened to shut down government over raising the debt ceiling, Obama used accounting gimmickry to extend the deadline with no calls for impeachment.

Washington wants right-wing regimes replacing all left of center ones - in Latin America and elsewhere.

During his late March Argentina visit, Obama welcomed a new US partnership with President Macri “promot(ing) the universal (sic) values and interests that we share” - serving monied interests exclusively at the expense of most others.

Brazil is Latin America’s largest economy, a BRICS nation allied with China, India, Russia and South Africa.

Replacing Rousseff with hard-right leadership would advance neoliberal harshness in one of the world’s most important countries - at the expense of democratic values, rule of law principles and social justice.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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